Written by: TFVstaff • January 6, 2018• In Our Schools Pinecrest Student Corner

Behind The Scenes: Safety Patrol

Imagine wearing neon clothes and hearing the sound of morning honking at 8:00 am. Cars are lined up infinitely and students are running around. Being a safety patrol at Pinecrest Elementary makes the mornings much more exciting.

Safety patrols have some amazing responsibilities at our posts. We get to arrive at school 45 minutes early. Since my last name starts with “S,” I got to do K-Porch (kindergarten drop-off). My responsibilities for K-Porch are to lead kindergarteners and pre-kindergarteners to their classes. I’m happy that I got K-Porch because smaller kids listen to safety patrols, unlike bigger kids because they are almost my age. I recently switched posts to morning P.E, an activity before school where kids go to play games. At morning P.E, we set up games and watch the kids to make sure they are safe. The games we set up are football, team handball, and soccer; sometimes we set up hula-hoops and jump rope. Also, we let kids run laps at P.E. That is the only time safety patrols let people run at school. Being a safety patrol is important to me because I want to keep students safe.
Not just anyone can obtain a safety patrol badge. First, you must have all A’s and Bs as academic grades.

Secondly, you must have all 1’s in effort and A’s in conduct. Finally, you must have good citizenship. Good citizenship means being a good sport while playing games like tag during recess. You are a good sport if you don’t get mad when you get tagged in recess or out in box ball. Teachers determine good citizenship while they watch you play at recess. In fact, they have to recommend you to be a safety patrol.

While being a safety patrol is fun, you also get special privileges. Safety patrols get to go on a special trip to Universal. In addition, safety patrols get to wear special rain gear on rainy days. Not only do you have these privileges, but you also get to be sworn in by a police officer at a belt ceremony.

Safety patrols have many responsibilities, requirements, and privileges. The job requires a huge commitment, as you have to continue serving the school for the entire school year. I’m proud to serve alongside students that I have gone to school with for the past five years. All in all, I am motivated to be a safety patrol because I want to be surrounded by other students who make Pinecrest Elementary the best school in Miami-Dade County.

Morgan Shapiro is currently a fifth grade student at Pinecrest Elementary School.

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